If you have been trying to dance the Waltz and you’re having some troubles, then this post will help.

The following covers the essentials of the Waltz and gives a few pointers to help you waltz better. It is not a complete lesson in itself, but it is a good guide to support the lessons that you are getting in Waltz. There is no substitute for a proper lesson. The following is excellent support for when you are practicing or if you need to double check your understanding of the Waltz.

The basic waltz

First, I should point out that I am talking about the standard Waltz (also called the English Waltz because its later form was developed in London). This is not about the Viennese Waltz.

Timing

Unlike most other dances the Waltz has 3/4 timing. That is, each bar has three beats and each beat has a ¼ relative period (crotchet). I am sure you know that now, but it’s good to get the basics covered off.

The basic figure

Posture

The Lead – upright with the waist fixed. Imagine someone is resting a hand on your head and you need to push against is while your feet stay flat and your knees very slightly bent (slightly softened). Shoulders should be relaxed and the centre of your weight should be over the positon just behind the balls of your feet.

The Follow – upright with the waist fixed. Imagine someone is resting a hand on your head and you need to push against is while your feet stay flat and your knees very slightly bent (slightly softened). Then tilt your head back slightly and turn it slightly to the left. The centre of your weight should be over the positon just behind the balls of your feet.

Hold

The lead orients to be slightly left of the follow while the lead and follow are essentially facing each other.
The lead raises both arms out until slightly diagonal from the horizontal. With palms facing the follow.
The lead bends the right elbow to place the right hand just under the follows left shoulder blade.
The follow places the left hand just below the lead’s right shoulder (on the top side of the arm). This is one of five common positions; you might have a preference for another position.
The lead bends the left elbow slightly to have the left hand at about eye level.
The follow places the right hand in the lead’s left hand
The lead inclines the left forearm slightly forward and has the hand in line with the forearm.
The free hands will be between the lead and follow with little push or pull
The follow’s fingers on the free hand will be more vertical and between the thumb and fingers of the lead and lead’s fingers more horizontal and to the side of the follows hands

Position

The starting position has the lead at a diagonal to the line of dance (the average direction the couple will take as the travel along the dance floor) and facing the wall (or outside) of the floor (on a diagonal). The following will be facing away from the wall and to the inside of the dance floor diagonally to each. The exact angle depends upon the space to be taken in the figure (as discussed later). However, 45^o is a good choice given no other constraints and is assumed in the explanation below.

Steps

The thing that I find most interesting about the Waltz is that you take a step on each beat. There are no slows or quicks; it’s a simple 1, 2, 3 (and 4, 5, 6 if you count in bars of two). That, I think, is one of the best things about the Waltz; it’s more like walking than many other dances.

So make sure that you are taking a step with each beat (note that there is a total of 4 bars here – 12 beats).

Beat	Lead	Follow
1	Lower with bending knees as you step forward with the left foot and then start to rise (lift with the ankles and the knee – knees will not be fully straight).	Upon feeling the lowering and forward movement of the lead, lower with the knee and step back with the right. Start to rise with the ankles and knees
2	Step to the right and a little forward of the left foot with the right foot and continue to a rise. Incline your upper body away to the left (away from movement) to give you some sway.	Step to the left with the left foot. It should also be slightly backward of the right foot. The amount will be influenced by the lead, but make it only slight when practicing alone. Incline your upper body to the right to give some sway as you step. Continue to rise.
3	Bring the left foot to the right foot as you straighten (remove sway) and finish rising. Settle at the end of this beat back to flat feet and softened knees. You should be in the starting posture.	Bring the right foot to the left foot and straighten to remove the sway and finish the rise. Then lower by softening the knees and lowering your heel. You should be in the starting posture.
4	Lower with bending knees as you step forward with the right foot and then start to rise (lift with the ankles and the knee – knees will not be fully straight) and start to turn to the right.	Step back with left foot and lower as you feel the lead. The start to rise with the knee and ankle as you start turning to the right.
5	Step to the left and a little forward with the left foot and continue to a rise and turn. Incline your upper body away to the right (away from movement) to give you some sway.	Step to the right and a little backward of the left foot with the right foot. Incline your body with the lead to your left to give some sway. Continue to turn.
6	Bring the right foot to the left foot as you finish the turn (90^o) finish the rise and then lower to the heels and bend knees slightly. You should now be in the starting posture, but facing the wall of the dance floor diagonally and have you back to the direction of dance (diagonally).	Bring your left foot to the right foot as you finish turning 90^o. While doing this finish the rise and then lower with the heel and knees. You should now be in the starting posture; however, you be facing the line of dance and away from the wall (both diagonally).
7	Lower with bending knees as you step backward with the left foot and then start to rise (lift with the ankles and the knee – knees will not be fully straight).	As you feel the lead induce you forward and lower, step forward on the right and lower through the knee to then start rising with knee and ankle. You will not fully straighten the knee.
8	Step to the right and a little backward of the left foot with the right foot and continue to a rise. Incline your upper body away to the left (away from movement) to give you some sway.	Step to the left with the left so that the left foot is also slightly backward of the left foot. Sway by inclining your upper body away (to the right) from the direction of dance and continue to rise.
9	Bring the left foot to the right foot as you straighten (remove sway) and finish rising. Settle at the end of this beat back to flat feet and softened knees. You should be in the starting posture.	Bring the right foot to the left foot. Remove the sway to straighten. Lower through the knees and onto the heels. You should be in the starting posture.
10	Lower with bending knees as you step backward with the right foot and then start to rise (lift with the ankles and the knee – knees will not be fully straight) and start to turn to the left.	Once again you are induced forward by the lead. Step with the left and lower through bended knee as you begin to turn to the left. Then start to rise.
11	Step to the left and a little backward with the left foot and continue to a rise and turn. Incline your upper body away to the right (away from movement) to give you some sway.	Step to the right with the right foot and place the right slightly backward of the left. Incline to the left as you do so for sway. Continue rising and turning through this beat.
12	Bring the right foot to the left foot as you finish the turn (90^o) finish the rise and then lower to the heels and bend knees slightly. You should now be in the starting posture and position, but further along the line of dance.	Bring the left to the right foot as you complete the turn by 90^o. Finish the rise and then lower through knees and lowered heels as you turn. You should now be in the starting posture and position, but further along the line of dance.

Specifics

The path taken

The Waltz basic figure will make a zigzag as you travel along the line of dance. Nominally, the zigzag is 45^o. The location of each step/beat from the table above is shown on a diagram below relative to the zigzag pattern. The numbers seem the right way up to the person who is facing the line of dance. If you’re facing against the line of dance, then the numbers should be upside-down.

If you ever need to travel faster along the dance floor then increase angle of the zigzag. This will mean that you will need to rotate more than 90^o when turning. If you need to slow down, then reduce the angle of the zigzag. This will mean you need to turn less than 90^o.

Forward step

The leg swings forward from the hip
When the foot moving forward is behind the other foot, the ball of the moving foot slides along the floor
When the heel of the moving foot is in front of the toe of the other foot:
- the heel of the moving foot will start to skim the floor
- the toe of the moving foot will rise
- the heel of the stationary foot will start to rise
When the stride is at the maximum length:
- the weight will be on the heel of the front foot and ball of the back foot
- the weight will also be equally distributed between the two feet
- the front knee will be straight and the back knee will be slightly bent
- the front toe will then lower and the weight will move forward

Back step

The leg swings backward from the hip
When the forward foot is first pulled back, the heel slides along the floor
When the foot moving backward is behind the other foot:
- the ball of the moving foot slides along the floor
- the front heel be lowered and the weight will move backward – this must be done with control
- the toe of the front foot begins to rise
When the stride is at the maximum length:
- the weight will be on the heel of the front foot and ball of the back foot
- the weight will also be equally distributed between the two feet
- the front knee will be straight and the back knee will be slightly bent

Turning steps

When taking a step with a turn, turn the shoulders with the step. This is more so for the lead; the follow should do the same in response to the lead.

Notes

The knees will always be bent to some extent – even when raised. You might need to play with this at the start to be able to rise without having you knees locked.
Leads can play with the time, such as holding for a period on a beat. However, still make sure that you are not too far off the beat. At the early stages, it is good to try to be on the beat, which might mean trying to get there a little early. Follows need to listen to the music and feel the lead to get this, but can play with it too. That’s up to you and the lead. Still, at this stage, just trying to be on the beat is a good goal.
Some sources will have you start with the step described at beat 4 above. The end effect is the same and you may start there and finish on 3 after continuing to beat 1 after beat 12.
The above has continued counting beats and steps continuously. It is assumed that this will make it easier to understand. However, you may wish to think of the beats differently. For example:
- 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3, 1,2,3
- 1,2,3, 2,2,3, 3,2,3, 4,2,3
- 1,2,3, 4,5,6, 1,2,3, 4,5,6
- In the table above, it is assumed that the couple are nominal at a 45o angle t the line of dance. However, as mentioned above, this can change. Therefore, in those beats when a turn of 90o is mentioned above, you might need to turn more or less depending upon the nominal angle you are using.

Other figures

This has only covered the basic figure. There are of course many other figures: Too many to cover here in detail have been developed since the Waltz was formalised in the 1920s. However, the pointers here for the basic will carry over other figures. If you can do the basic better, and naturally, then you will start to perform other figures better too.

References

The above is based on the experience of the author and is also a collation of the content of the following references. If you want more to read about the waltz, then any of them would be a good addition to your dance library.

This is a pretty good video on Waltz,

But if you really want a good video reference on Waltz, then I can recommend the following. Click the image below to learn more.

Louis gives excellent and well balanced advice on how to dance many dances - inlcuding the waltz. If you're starting out with dance, then this video collection is invaluable. Click the image above to learn more.

Getting even better

The above has specifically been about the Waltz. There are numerous techniques that you can use to better dance – no matter the dance you’re trying.

If you want to have better timing, better posture and learn to dance better faster, then take a read of my free e-book. It’s full of techniques that will make you a better dancer straight away. Juts enter your details in the respective form below and hit the ‘Submit’ button. I will then email the e-book to you straight away, and you will be dancer better in no time.

It costs nothing and it's got the best stuff I have learned about dancing so make sure you get a copy now.

Do you have troubles finding a dance partner because all the other dancers are couples and their partners (husbands, girlfriends, wives, boyfriends and so on) do not like you dancing with them?

It’s not an uncommon problem.

I have spoken with a number of subscribers to my email list, my blog readers and facebook fans who have this issue. In fact, I have spoken with so many, I decide to find out what can be done to help people in this situation.

To find out why people might dislike another person dancing with their better halves, I conducted a survey of the fans of The Inner game of dance facebook page. I asked people what would make them less comfortable or more comfortable with another person dancing with their partner.

I did not ask them to think of what they thought would affect it. Instead I offered a list of scenarios. This meant that people completing the survey would find it easier to share their feelings on the subject, but it also meant that I might have missed some key issues – this should be kept in mind as the results of the survey are analysed.

The scenarios given were:

If I were a better dancer, then
If the person dancing with my partner was a friend of mine, then
If I danced better than the person dancing with my partner, then
If the person dancing with my partner was a teacher, then
If the person dancing with my partner was younger, then
If the person dancing with my partner was older, then
If the person dancing with my partner was attractive, then
If we had just had a fight and someone was dancing with my partner, then
If it was in a place I had not been before and someone else was dancing with my partner, then
If it was in a familiar environment and someone else was dancing with my partner, then
If I had just had a disappointing dance lesson and someone else was dancing with my partner, then
If the person dancing with my partner was popular at the venue, then
If the person dancing with my partner was wealthier, then

To each of these scenarios the person was asked to choose one of the following three options:

I would be less bothered by it.
it would make little difference.
I would be more bothered by it.

You can see the survey here if you are interested - https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L6MXCV3

By finding which scenarios were more likely to induce a negative or positive response a single dancer will be better able to find a dance partner who might already be in a relationship at a social dance event.

Let’s first look at the responses of the men

The top three scenarios that would make men more comfortable with another man dancing with their partners were:

If I were a better dancer
If the person dancing with my partner was a teacher
If the person dancing with my partner was a friend of mine

The top three scenarios that would bother men most were:

If the person dancing with my partner was attractive
If it was in a place I had not been before and someone else was dancing with my partner, then
If we had just had a fight and someone was dancing with my partner

Now the above can be compared with responses from the women.

The top four things that would make women more comfortable were :

If the person dancing with my partner was a teacher
If the person dancing with my partner was older
If the person dancing with my partner was a friend of mine
If it was in a familiar environment and someone else was dancing with my partner

The two top things that bothered women the most were:

If we had just had a fight and someone was dancing with my partner
If it was in a place I had not been before and someone else was dancing with my partner

What do the results mean for single dancers?

Two issues were common to men and women. They had a preference for familiar places and preferred their partners dancing with a teacher. This suggests that people would like to be reassured that it is just dancing. Teachers are there for dance and if the place is familiar, then the intensions of others are better understood.

No matter if you are a man or a woman looking for a partner to dance with, make it clear that it is dance that you love. Maybe even try acting like a teacher – without coming off as being full of yourself. Talk to the partner (of the person you would like to dance with) about dance, the things that make dance fun, the things you notice about people who are good to dance with and those who are not. Do not go overboard, you will look suspicious, but by focusing on dance you can make it clear that that is what your intensions are.

This is amplified by trust. Both men and women preferred their partners dancing with friends. Try to be friends and develop trust with the people at any dance event and you should find it easier to dance with their partners.

There is also the issue of security. Both men and women would be less likely to feel comfortable with another person dancing with their partner if they had recently had a fight. This can be hard to pick so you’re best looking for a couple that seem happy together.

Along with security is self-assuredness.

Men would feel better if they themselves were better dancers, suggesting that they dislike their partners dancing with men who are good dancers. Women would prefer their partners dancing with someone older, suggesting that they dislike their partners dancing with younger more attractive women.

You can’t make yourself older and you would rather not dance poorly.

But it’s not you; it’s them.

They need to feel better about themselves. There is only so much you can do about this, but certainly a genuine compliment can help. If you have already become friends with the people there, then your compliments will be genuine. If someone feels better in themselves, then they are more likely to be OK with someone else dancing with their partner. If the source of this better feeling is you, then they will feel even better with you dancing with their partner. We all like compliments – keep them genuine (everyone does something that deserves a compliment), and you will not only have more partners to dance with, but you will make other people feel better.

Gotta love that!

Dance Better Now

This blog deals with techniques that can be used by students of partner dance (Swing, Latin, Ballroom etc.) to improve their speed of learning. It's all about being a better student, and learning faster.

August 2014

08/15/2014

How to dance the Waltz - Better